


Bar Fight

by RockinT765



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: I don't know how to tag this, Kinda fluffy???, M/M, Non-Despair AU, Slightly dramatic, non-ultimate au, that's all that makes it teen, there's some swearing in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 19:19:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8297278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RockinT765/pseuds/RockinT765
Summary: Makoto Naegi finds himself caught in the sidelines of a bar fight. Ducking behind the counter, he finds someone else wishing that they'd come on a different day.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how I feel about this fic. I wrote it pretty fast, and it gets kinda dialogue-heavy, by the end. I may go back and edit this. Also, my first time writing Mondo! I like his character.

Makoto Naegi was a sweet kid. He was the kind of person who helped old ladies across the street, offered to go to the grocery store with his mother, and was never absent on days where there was a big group project. And, he always had been that kind of person.

So, he felt incredibly out of place when he stepped into the bar, near his new apartment.

He was legally old enough, sure, and he’d had a few drinks at parties before, but he’d never actually stepped into a bar. It’d just always seemed like a place where he wouldn’t fit in.

Clubs were often too loud, and he’d always felt really nervous about having to pick a drink when there were so many options and drink combinations that he didn’t know about. And, whenever he asked, the bartenders would give him dirty looks. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t know much about the pretty drinks. He just wasn’t a huge drinker.

But, this place had looked professional, with a nice wooden look to it, and the setup really making it more of a pub than a regular bar. It was well-lit, and while many of the people there kind of reminded him of bikers, he hadn’t seen any motorcycles outside, so he figured he wasn’t about to encounter some kind of gang.

Regardless, he had already walked in, and he wasn’t about to turn around. Well, he could, and honestly he was really considering it, but Makoto figured he needed to put himself out there, more often.

It was rare, actually, that he strayed from his dorm, back when he was still living on-campus. But, once he’d finally had enough to get his own place, he’d ditched the community lifestyle, and went for a simpler roommate setup. And, Kyoko, who had really been his best friend ever since they were kids, and now his roommate, had encouraged him to explore their new location.

So, he’d found the bar easily enough, and decided that that would be his first foray into the nightlife of his new part of the world.

Gulping, Makoto walked over to the bar, and sat down.

The bartender was a blonde with curly hair heavily gelled into some kind of hairstyle that Makoto couldn’t name, and he had intense makeup on that heavily accentuated his long eyelashes. He was also incredibly tall, with a level of muscle-mass that made Makoto feel inadequate.

“What can I get ya?” the bartender said, gruffly, yet with a certain friendliness that shocked Makoto.

He glanced at the array of drinks, and felt indecisiveness hit him. “Um, what drinks are popular?”

“Fuck, man, I don’t really pay attention to what these drunks get half the time. Usually, I just get shochu. That shit’s fuckin’ A. Course it ain’t exactly for lightweights,” he gave Makoto a smile that was both comforting and intimidating, “How ‘bout just sake? Even a twerp like you should be able to handle the stuff!”

Makoto wasn’t about to get on this guy’s bad side, despite how good-natured he seemed, so he just nodded.

In response, the bartender winked at him, and moved fluidly to where he kept the stuff, like he knew every inch of the place, “Comin’ right up.”

Makoto smiled at him, and took out his wallet, hoping that the drink wouldn’t be too expensive. He wasn’t exactly rich, and it wasn’t like any good colleges paid _you_ , so he depended on his part-time job. And, it wasn’t a luxurious job either, since he was just a cashier at a department store, but he enjoyed chit-chatting with customers, and the work wasn’t too bad.

Really, he was a pretty social person. This just wasn’t his regular crowd.

Anyway, eventually the bartender returned with his drink, and Makoto took out his wallet. However, the bartender slid it back to him, saying in his brash but charming way, “Nah, man. You ain’t gotta pay for it. You look fuckin’ nervous as hell, and I’m guessin’ you’re one a those college kids, so just drink up, on me.”

Makoto’s jaw hung open, but then he shook his head no. “You really don’t have to do that.”

But then, the bartender leaned in a bit, with his fist up uncomfortably close to Makoto’s fragile face, “What, ya don’t wanna accept my kindness?!”

And, Makoto’s eyes widened, suddenly fearing that he was about to be knocked out or something. “No! I mean, thanks a lot, uh-”

“The name’s Mondo,” he interrupted, having already calmed down, it seemed.

“-Mondo. Thanks, Mondo,” Makoto said, letting out a sigh of relief, “I really appreciate it.”

The man now identified as Mondo gave him a thumbs up, “It’s nothin’ man.”

Makoto nodded, and took the drink, watching Mondo happily walk over to check up on some of the other patrons. Sure, he could’ve been beat up, just then, but Makoto wasn’t hating the experience, so far. He raised the sake to his lips, and took a hesitant sip.

It wasn’t awful.

He took another sip before setting it down, and briefly wondered why Mondo hadn’t asked to see his ID. Truthfully, he had really been expecting it, especially since he was so young-looking, but he took slight pride in the fact that he hadn’t been mistaken for a toddler. He also decided, quickly, however, that Mondo just didn’t seem like the type of person who cared about the law.

Makoto glanced around the bar, and found that most of the people there were middle-aged men who were likely trying to escape their work, or partners, or kids. So, maybe Mondo had just been so used to not having to check ID’s that he’d literally forgotten.

Actually, there were only a few people who seemed to be around his age, like a tall guy in a suit who was sitting alone in the corner of the room, some girl with massive twin-drills who appeared to be playing cards, and some guy with huge hair who looked like he was trying to read somebody’s palms.

Makoto wondered if he should try to go up and talk to any of them, but figured that they were already pretty engrossed in whatever they were doing. So, instead, he opted to just drink his sake, and look at all the pretty bottles on the shelves.

However, this was _rapidly_ interrupted by a sudden shout that made him jump so bad he almost fell off his stool.

_“I’ll fuckin’ kill you!”_

Makoto spun around, ready to face whoever it was, but he was instead confronted by a scene of one guy just completely _tackling_ another guy.

“That’s my wife you’re talking about, you piece of shit!”

The guy who was shouting began to wail on the guy who was now below him, while a third guy began running over, shouting, “Let go of my brother, asshole!”

Before Makoto could even comprehend what was happening, a fight had erupted, and pandemonium broke loose. Then, somebody who wasn’t even involved in the fight seemed to just randomly choose sides, and began to aid in the growing man-pile.

Somebody threw a bottle.

A girl in a sparkly dress jumped onto the back of some weirdly buff guy, and started choking him, and someone began to pull her off.

People were shouting profanities and insults at people they didn’t even know.

A bar fight had begun.

Makoto, heart beating so fast he feared he’d pass out, looked to Mondo for guidance, pleading internally that he’d do something to stop the madness. And, Mondo seemed to notice this, and shouted, smashing a bottle of his own to get everyone’s attention, “Calm the fuck down, or I’ll kick all of your asses into next fuckin’ week!”

It was a terrible approach, but Makoto hoped that it would work. In the end, all he really had was his optimism and hope.

“Shut the fuck up!” called someone at the bar, and Makoto watched, helplessly, as they attempted to punch Mondo in the face.

Mondo blocked, easily, and jumped over the counter, grabbing him a choke-hold, and tackling him to the floor. “Who wants a fuckin’ piece of me, shitheads?!”

Apparently many people did.

Then, it was a blur, as everyone in the bar began to crowd around him, beating each other up, and throwing bottles, chairs, or anything else that could be picked up, including people. He couldn’t even focus on what was going on because there was so much commotion, and he desperately decided that he should never have come.

His eyes did focus, however, on a woman coming at him with a broken bottle, and he dived behind the counter, narrowly missing another bottle that was being thrown.

Clearly, though, he hadn’t thought it through very well, and his head hit a low shelf, causing him to let out a loud yelp. But, hey, he had panicked, and he thought he was doing pretty well, considering the fact that he could’ve been two seconds from being _stabbed_.

The throbbing of his head was unimportant, in comparison to everything, but he still reached a hand up to make sure it wasn’t bleeding. He tapped the area, and luckily it was just slightly sore. Makoto thought, suddenly, that he was glad that he had such poofy hair. It was somewhat of a built-in airbag.

He pulled himself back into the present, and took a breath, attempting to calm himself down. But then, he heard a voice come from less than a foot away.

“Hey, idiot.”

And, Makoto screamed, scrambling backward, and hitting his head again on a shelf.

“Calm down, you buffoon. I’m not going to hurt you,” said the stranger that Makoto was now aware of.

Makoto looked at him, and recognized him as the guy in the suit, from earlier. However, looking closer, he noticed that he was no longer wearing his tie or jacket, and his shirt was just a little _too_ unbuttoned. Makoto had to force himself to look away, hoping to god that he was not blushing at at time like this.

Other than that little detail, Makoto also noticed that he had glasses, striking blue eyes, and blonde hair that perfectly epitomized the beauty of controlled chaos (with a certain messiness that was also very tamed). He was on one knee, peering over the counter, and Makoto tried to ignore the fact that he was one of the most beautiful people he’d ever seen.

Then, the man spoke again, saying coolly, “I see my plan wasn't very well thought out if someone like you could come up with it.”

Makoto winced, and said, still a bit on edge, “I just sorta freaked out and acted on instinct.”

At that, the blonde narrowed his eyes. “One day, that'll get you killed.”

Makoto laughed, awkwardly. _“What a good time this guy is,”_ he thought.

“I'll keep that in mind,” he stuck out his hand, “I'm Makoto Naegi. What's your name?”

The blonde looked at the hand, and then at his face, studying him, before finally opting to shake hands with him while making almost _too_ direct of eye contact.

“I am sure you've heard of me,” he clicked his tongue, “But, it's Byakuya Togami.”

And then, Byakuya dropped Makoto’s hand, and Makoto briefly considered that his hand felt colder, now.

Makoto gave an apologetic smile, saying almost calmly, “Sorry, I don't think I've ever heard of you,” he shrugged, “Your name is really pretty, though! I like the way it sounds: Byakuya Togami.”

Byakuya’s eyes widened, slightly, and he turned his head away for a moment.

“Thank… you,” he said, the words coming slowly, like he wasn’t used to saying them.

Makoto smiled, a bit brighter, and Byakuya turned to face him again.

“I've never had anyone show interest in my name purely based on something as useless as the sound of it,” he said, voice filled with almost a bit of hesitance, as opposed to malice.

Strangely, it made Makoto laugh, and he added, his own voice light, “I can’t tell if that’s an insult or not.”

Then, Byakuya didn’t respond, and Makoto realized that he hadn’t really sat down, properly, yet. He was still sort of crouched, leaning against the shelf. So, he moved a touch closer to Byakuya, and sat down criss-cross applesauce style.

And, Byakuya scoffed.

“What?” Makoto asked, curiously.

Byakuya pursed his lips, for a second, before answering, “I've just never seen any kind of respectable _adult_ sit like that,” he looked Makoto up and down again, “Are you sure you're even allowed in here?”

Mostly unfazed by Byakuya’s words, Makoto looked down at his lap, before replying, “I'm 21, actually! How old are you?”

“Of course we’re the same age,” he muttered, letting out a small sigh.

“We’re the same age? What a coincidence! We could've gone to school together!” Makoto said, beaming.

But, Byakuya only frowned.

“No, we could not have,” he crossed his arms, “You probably went to, what, public school? Or were you not educated at all?”

Makoto cocked his head, “Of course I went to school.”

Byakuya sighed again, “Public?”

Slowly, Makoto nodded.

“Well, _I_ was privately tutored from the time of infancy,” Byakuya smiled, smugly, “I was taught a variety of subjects that your school system is so massively under-qualified to teach that it's almost pitiable.”

Makoto, however, was not impressed. In fact, he was horrified.

He couldn't even imagine it. School was such a part of his life. It was where he met his friends, where he'd found out his hobbies, where he got his news, and where he'd gotten the life skills he was so desperately lacking as a silly little kid.

“How did you ever make any friends?” he asked, a bit louder than he would’ve wanted.

And, Byakuya blinked, appearing to have been thrown off by the question. Then, he cleared his throat and leaned slightly forward, almost hissing out, “Friends? They would've been a hindrance to my education.”

“Byakuya,” Makoto gasped, putting his hands atop Byakuya’s own, “I’m so sorry.”

For a moment, Byakuya’s mouth hung open, but he quickly recovered, pulling his hands away from him. “Sorry for what?” he spat.

In thought, Makoto’s mouth formed a straight line, but then the words came to him, and he said, softly, “That you never got to experience that part of your childhood. I don't know what I would've done if I didn't have anybody to talk to.”

Makoto watched Byakuya, who looked like he was getting ready to say something, but instead he only frowned.

“Loneliness is a weak characteristic,” he stared at Makoto with icy eyes, “Excellence is not achieved through complaints of silence.”

Makoto’s eyebrows knit together in confusion. “That's… such a sad way to view the world,” he said, having long forgotten about the bar fight.

Byakuya pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing.

“This is why I never come to places like this,” he looked down, “You’re so simple and imbecilic that I'm losing brain cells.”

Makoto thought that was a pretty rude thing to say, but really it just gave him a sudden rush of passion, his face taking on a determined expression.

“Well, I’m glad you came.”

Byakuya looked up, at that, seeming genuinely surprised.

Makoto smiled, at him, “I may not be the kind of person you're used to, and I still don't really get the way you view the world, but I'd love to be your friend.”

For a second, Byakuya just stared at him.

“You are an incredibly frustrating person,” he finally said.

Makoto laughed, again, saying sweetly, “Thank you?”

Then, Byakuya looked away, and took a breath, replying with, “I would, however, like to counter your offer.”

Again, Makoto cocked his head. “My offer?”

Byakuya met his eyes, and Makoto noticed that he swallowed.

“Of friendship,” he paused, “My counter, of course, being… I would like to go out with you, Makoto Naegi.”

And, Makoto felt his heart skip a beat, his mouth forming a small o-shape.

Byakuya must’ve noticed this, and taken it the wrong way, however, as he quickly backtracked, rambling on to say, “If I'm not your type, or you’re not interested in men, or-”

Makoto waved his hands to stop him.

“No, no, you're, like, insanely good-looking,” he blushed, “And, I'd like to go out with you, too, Byakuya.”

Byakuya gave him something akin to a smile, and Makoto smiled right back.

But then, a bottle hit the wall just between them, narrowly missing both of them, and splattering the liquid and glass all around them.

Gulping, Makoto added, “We kinda have to get out of here, first, though.”

Byakuya nodded, surveyed the room for a moment, and then signalled for Makoto to follow him, waving his hand before crawling over to the little bartender door. Makoto risked a glance at the fight, before following him until they reached the open area of the bar.

Then, Byakuya grabbed Makoto’s hand, and pulled him up, leading the two of them to the door, as they make a mad-dash across the bar, staying as close to the edge of the room as possible.

Soon enough, they stepped out into the night, and Makoto put his hands on his knees, bending over to catch his breath. Byakuya, too, was slightly out of breath, but Makoto guessed that it was more out of adrenaline than actual tiredness.

After a moment, however, something dawned on Makoto.

“If it was that easy to escape, why didn't you, earlier?” he asked, looking up at Byakuya.

Byakuya thought for a second, and then replied, “It was an interesting change of pace watching those drunken idiots beat each other up.”

Makoto frowned. “But, so why didn't you tell _me_ , at least?”

And, Byakuya smiled. “Because I was enjoying our chat.”

“You’re a jerk,” Makoto said, playfully, reaching for Byakuya’s hand again.

“Oh, Makoto, that reminds me. I have a question for you,” Byakuya said, suspiciously, causing Makoto to squint at him.

“What is it?” he asked, cautiously.

Then, almost too proudly, Byakuya said, “While we were crawling, were you staring at my ass?”

Instantly, Makoto blushed. “N-No!”

“Ah, a missed opportunity then,” Byakuya said, laughing.

Makoto pouted, before leaning against Byakuya’s side. “I'll have more of them, right? Opportunities?”

And, Byakuya glanced down at him, replying softly with, “Many.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed? Also, I know I don't have a lot of buildup for the romance aspect, but it's not like they're declaring their love or whatever. It's just one person casually asking another person out, which happens all the time, right?
> 
> Also, I live for flirty Byakuya.
> 
> P.S. Apologies again for the dialogue-heavy ending.


End file.
